Sony medium format camera set to be released within 12 months

Sony and Zeiss are rumored to be working together on a medium format rangefinder and Mamiya is also believed to be working on a similar camera.

This has been a good year for the fans of the medium format. The first CMOS sensor for such devices has been developed by Sony and employed by Phase One, Hasselblad, and Pentax in their cameras.

The 50-megapixel medium format CMOS sensor is powering the IQ250, H5D-50c, and the 645Z, respectively. It is worth noting that Leica has also launched such a shooter at Photokina 2014, one bearing a 37.5-megapixel sensor with 4K video recording capabilities.

Gossip talks have suggested that Sony, Nikon, and Canon would announce medium format cameras at the world’s biggest digital imaging event, too. However, these rumors have turned out to be false.

Nevertheless, the chatter will not end anytime soon. It is said that Sony is indeed developing a medium format camera of its own and it has Zeiss on its side. Additionally, Mamiya is also planning to launch a new MF shooter and the good thing is that both these products are definitely coming within 12 months.

This is the Mamiya 7II camera. Sony and Zeiss are working on a medium format camera that is allegedly looking like this shooter. Moreover, Mamiya will also launch its own version and it is all happening within 12 months.

Sony medium format camera coming in 2015 with a little help from Zeiss

Sony and Zeiss have a long-standing partnership which has expanded to the FE-mount line-up. The German lens maker is launching lenses for full frame E-mount mirrorless camera. The two comrades seem to have bigger ideas, according to trusted sources.

These ideas consist of a Sony medium format camera, which will most likely feature a 50-megapixel CMOS sensor. Zeiss’ contribution is unknown for now, but we can assume that its involvement will actually consist of several lenses, as the shooter will probably employ a new lens mount.

The exact release date is also unknown. However, the gossip talks are pointing towards a launch sometime within 12 months. Either way, the device will be styled like a rangefinder and it should offer a very exciting specifications list.

Mamiya is also developing a new medium format rangefinder camera

The medium format battle will get even more interesting as Mamiya is also working on a new medium format camera. Its specs are also unknown, so it will be interesting to find out whether or not the company will borrow Sony’s 50MP version.

The design of the upcoming device should be inspired by the Mamiya 7II MF camera, which means that it should come with a built-in viewfinder. Its announcement should also take place in 2015, so the wait will not be very long.